Model railroad control system



March 7, 1961 F. E. BLAKE ETAL MODEL RAILROAD CONTROL SYSTEM Filed oct.29, 195e FRANcls e. BLAKE RICHARD P. BOYER BY FLOYD H. HENsoN ZMATTORNEY United States Patent() MODEL RAILROAD CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Oct.20, 1956, Ser. N0. 618,988

3 Claims. (Cl. S18-349) The present invention relates to an electricalcontrol system and, more particularly, to a control system for anelectrically operated model railroad.

Electrically opera-ted model railroads of either the toy train or thescale model types are popular indoor hobby diversions for both young andold. Toy train systems are usually electrically operated by alternatingcurrent supplied by a variable voltage step-down transformer. On theother hand, scale model railroads are usually electrically operated bydirect current supplied from a step-down transformer and dry rectifierpower supply. With both systems, the trains are entirely controlled byeither a transformer control lever or a rheostat to vary the appliedvoltage and hence the speed of the train. Model trains, due to the typesof drive gearing used, do not coast to any extent after the drivingcurrent is disconnected. Also, prior to lthis invention, the functionsof both accelerating and braking of the -toy or model trains are allcontrolled by operating the single speed control lever or knobcontrolling the amount of the applied power. Therefore, without coastingprovisions and without separate braking, a good simulation of throttleand brake operation is not lobtained with the prior art control systems.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved controlsystem for controlling the application of power to electric motors orthe like suchthat the application of power is controlled by a particuaroperation of acontrol member while the maximum rate of reduction of thepower is predetermined and not controlled by any operation of theaforesaid control member.

Itis also an object of the present invention to provide an improvedmodel electric railroad control system which will enable a continuedpowered movement of the train and therefore a simulated coasting of theelectric train after the speed controller controlling the supply ofpower to the track and train is returned to the starting position.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved controlarrangement yfor electrically powered model railroad systems having bothspeed vand braking controls remote from the train and track `andarranged to simulate the operation of prototype trains by the modeltrains in their use.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an improvedcontrol system for an electrically operated model railroad which willenable `a simulated coasting after the remote speed controller isreturned to or towards the starting position and which will also providea separate remotely positioned simulated brake control for controllablystopping the model train to simulate prototype train brake operation.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved remotecontrol arrangement vfor electrically powered model trains which willprovide `a gradually decreasing amount of applied power to the track andtrain after the speed controller has been returned towards the minimumpower or zero speed position to thus enable the model train to graduallyreduce speedand thereby 2,974,268 Patented Mar. 7A, 1961 ICC simulate acoasting function even though friction would normally tend toimmediately stop the model train without coasting if power were notapplied.

A feature of the invention is the provision of a remotely positionedspeed controlling throttle lever or iirst control member and a brakelever or second control member, together with a train control circuitconnected to the track and train to be controllably energized inaccordance with various positions of the throttle and brake levers orcontrol members. The applied power for the model train electric motor issupplied through the control circuit in a variable amount which iscontrolled by 4the relative positions of the throttle and brake levercontrol members. The throttle lever may have a minimum power or zerospeed position and a plurality of successive positions to control thepower supply circuit to supply correspondingly increasing amounts ofpower to the model train system. The control circuit further includesholding means to continue to supply the power to the system after thethrottle lever has been returned to a lower speed setting or the zerospeed position` The control system holding means may be further modifiedto automatically and gradually reduce the ap` plied power to the minimumpower established by the subsequent lower position of the throttle, thusproviding a decreasing coasting speed for the model train to simulateprototype train coasting.

Having provided remote controlled power holding and modifying means asdescribed above, the invention further features another modification ofthe `circuit holding means to provide a rapid reduction of applied powerto the track and train by the control system when the remotelypositioned brake handle associated with the control system is moved to apredetermined brake position and also provides for an immediatedisconnection of applied power to the track and train when the brakehandle is moved to another predetermined position which may be termed anemergency brake position.

ln the foregoing paragraphs, reference has been made to track and trainand it should be understood that in actuality, the control system of theinvention is adapted to control the application of power to an electricmotor embodied in the train that runs on the track and collects itspower from the track through conventional current pickup devices.

Further objects, features, and the attending advantages of the inventionwill be apparent with reference to the following speciiication anddrawing in which Fig. lis a schematic wiring diagram, and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic showing of one arrangement for the brake handleoperated switches.

Referring to the drawing, it should be understood that the controlsystem of the invention may be used for either alternating current ordirect current operated model railroad systems, it being only necessaryto use either A.-C. or D.C. operated relays, accordingly. For purposesof the present description, the remote control system is used with asource of direct current, indicated by the plus and minus sign,respectively, and this source of direct current may be used to powerboth the control system relays andthe model railroad track and train.

The control system is provided with a plurality of control relays 1-8,respectively, one each for each step of speed control desired. When eachrespective relay is operated, a desired amount of resistance in serieswith the power source and the model railroad track and train is shortcircuited. It should be pointed out that alternatively the vcontrolrelays 1-8 may control the connection of respective transformer taps tothe track and train circuit instead of the resistance units shown. Thus,with all relays operated, the power source is connected to the modelrailroad track and train with maximum 3 power affording a maximum speedof operation. As specically shown, normally opened contacts 15 of relay1, 25 of relay 2, 35 of relay 3, 45 of relay 4, 55 of relay 5, 65 of`relay 6, 75 of relay 7, 'and 85 of relay 0 are arranged to be closedwhen the respective relay is operated and the closing of these contactseects a corresponding reduction in the total series resistance providedby the series resistor sections 90-96.

To control the energization and operation of relays 1 8, a remotelypositioned simulated thro-ttle or electric controller member 100 isprovided. The controller member 100 is connected to move the switch arm101 into progressive contact with switch contacts 2-109 as thecontroller handle 100 is moved from the minimum throttle position to themaximum full throttle position. A positive terminal of the power supplysource is connected through normally closed switch contacts 111associated with the remotely positioned brake lever and to be laterreferred to in greater detail, to the switch arm 101 of the speedcontroller. When the controller member or handle 100 is advanced to theposition where switch arm 101 engages contact 102, a circuit is completed to operate relay 1 -f-rom the negative terminal of the powersource through the coil of relay 1, switch contact 102, switch arm 101,and normally closed switch contacts 111 to the positive yterminal of thepower source. Relay 1, in operating, closes its normally opened contacts12 to establish a locking circuit for relay 1 which may be traced fromthe negative terminal through relay coil 1, operated contacts 12,normally closed contacts 22, and normally closed interruptor contacts131 to the normally closed switch contacts 111 and the positive terminalof the power source. Thus, it will be seen that the controller 100` maythen be returned to the zero position after relay 1 has been operatedand relay 1 will remain operated even though the contro-ller is returnedtothe start-ing position so long as the interruptor contacts 131 remainin their normally closed position.

When the controller handle 100 is advanced to the second step positionso that the switch arm 101 establishes contact with switch contact 103,bo-th relays 1 and 2 become operated. Relay 2 is initially operated overthe path traced from the positive terminal of the power supply, normallyclosed switch contacts 111, switch arm 101, controller switch contact103, and coil of relay 2 to the negative terminal of the power supply.Relay 2, in operating, closes normally opened contacts 23 whichestablishes a locking path 'for relay 2 through normally closed contacts31 and operated contacts 141 of the brake off position switch 140 (Fig.2), assuming that the brake handle or control. member 150 is in thebrake ot position so that switch 140 is operated. Relay 2, in operating,also provides an `alternate operating circuit for relay 1 from thenegative terminal of the power source through the coil of relay 1,operated contacts 24, and normally closed switch contacts 111 to thepositive terminal of the power supply. Thereafter, the control handle100 may be returned to the starting position and relays 1 and 2 willremain operated through the locking circuits traced above to therebysupply power through resistors 91-96 to operate the model train atcomparatively slow speed.

When the controller 100 is operated to advance the switch arm 101 tocontact 103, relay 3 will become operated through a similar operatingpath to that of relay 1 establishing a locking circuit for relay 3through operated contacts 32 and normally closed contacts 41 to thenormal-ly closed interrupter contacts 131. The operation of relay 3 alsocloses contacts 33 to provide an alternate operating and locking pathrIor relay 2. Similarly, when relay 4 is operated by advancing thecontrol lever 100, contacts 42 are closed to provide an operating andlocking path for relay 3 and contacts 43 are closed to provide a lockingpath for relay 4 as established through normally closed contacts 51 ofrelay 5 and operated .con-

. 1-5 and the initial locking circuits for relays 6 and 8 Y areestablished through the normally closed interrupter contacts 131 whilethe initial locking circuit for relay 7 is established through theoperated contacts 141 of the brake off position switch.

Considering the operation of the circuit as thus far described, it Willbe seen that upon advancing the control handle progressively fromcontact position 102 to contact position 109, relays 1-8 will becomeoperated in turn. It will also be noted that the operation off rel-ay 2provides an operating and locking circuit for relay 1, the operation ofrelay 3 provides an operating and locking circuit for relay 2, and soforth, until relay 8 is operated, which provides an operating andlocking circuit for relay 7. Also, it is assumed that the brake handleis in the ott position so that switch is operated by cam 151 andnormally opened contacts 141 are closed and contacts 142 are open sothat the interrupter relay 130 is not operating. Therefore, normallyclosed contacts 131 are also closed so that the locking circuit pathsfor relays 1-8 are complete through the normally closed emergency brakeposition switch 110. Therefore, the controller 100 may be returnedtowards the zero or starting position and relays 1-8 will remainoperated. The relay chain is such that should the controller handle beadvanced only to the intermediate position tfor successively closingcontacts 102406, then only relay 1-5 would be operated and would remainoperated after the controller handle is returned towards the startingposition. In other words, each of the relays 1-3 will become operateddepending upon the maximum position to which the control handle isadvanced and will remain operated after the handle is returned to anylower position than the starting position. This has the elect ofproviding continuous speed coasting for the model railroad train sincethe power is initially applied by advancing the control handle andremains on after the control handle has been returned to the startingposition simulating a power off condition for the control handle whileactually supplying power to the model railroad through the operatedcontacts of the the controller relays 1-8 that may be operated andlocked.

When it is desired to stop the train, however, considering the operationof the control system as thus far described, it is only necessary tomove the remotely positioned brake handle control lmember '150 to theemergency brake position #2 (Fig. 2) so that the cam 15.1 will operatethe switch 110 and open the normally closed contacts 111, thus removingthe holding ground that had been established through contacts 131 and141 to hold the operated ones of relays 1-8 in their operated condition.Thus, when the brake handle is moved to the emergency brake position,any operated ones of the control relays 1-8 are immediately deenergizedand any of the contacts 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, which may havebeen closed, are opened to disconnect the power supplied to the modelrailroad track and train so that the model train comes to an immediatestop due to its internal friction.

The above described operation of the control system provides acontinuous speed coasting etect and an emergency or immediate brakingeffect. The invention may also provide for a gradually decreasingcoasting speed and a graduated decreasing braking speed. The deoragesgrl'peasng coasting speed arrangement will be described It will now lbeassumed that the brake handle control member 150 is in the intermediateor solid `line position, shown by Fig. 2 of the drawing, so thatswitches 110, 140 and 160 are in their normal unoperated position withcontacts 110, 161 and 142 closed and contacts 141 opened. The positiveterminal of the power supply is thus connected through normally closedcontacts 111 and 142 and through normally closed contacts 132 of relay130 to the lower winding 130e of relay 130 and the negative terminal ofthe power supply. The upper winding 130b of relay 130 is connected fromthe positive terminal of the power supply through capacitors 170 and 171in parallel to the lower winding 130a and the negative terminal of thepower supply, assuming switch 160 to be in the normally closed position.The connection of the capacitors 170 and 17-1 and the windings 130a and130b for relay 130 are such that relay 130 functions as a pulsinginterrupter relay to periodically open contacts 131, 132 and closecontacts 133. Contacts 131 and 133 are so arranged that contacts 133close before contacts 131 open. The values of the capacitors 170 and17-1 are chosen to provide a fairly slow pulsing rate for the pulsing orinterrupter relay 130 so that it pulses at about the rate of six pulsesper minute.

Now assuming that the controller member or handle 100 had been advancedto operate all the control relays 1-8 and thereby apply full power forfull speed operation of the model railroad, when the control handle 100is returned to the starting position all of the control relays 1-8 areinitially locked in their operated positions assuming that at thatmoment the interrupter relay is operated so that contacts 133 are closedand contacts 131 are opened. When the interrupter relay 130 releases,contacts 133 will be opened and contacts 131 will be closed to releaserelay 8. Relay 8 in releasing opens contacts 82 and 83 and closescontacts 81 thereby transferring relay 7 from the former locking circuitthrough previously closed contacts 83 to the substitute locking circuitthrough now closed contacts 81 and normally closed pulsing contacts 131.When the pulsing or interrupter relay again operates, contacts 133 areclosed and contacts 131 are opened to release relay 7 thereby openingcontacts 72 and 73 and closing contacts 71 to transfer relay 6 from theprevious holding circuit through formerly closed contact 72 to thesubstitute holding circuit through now closed contacts 71 and operatedcontacts 133. This operation continues as the pulsing relay 130 pulsesto progressively release the previously operated control relays 8-1thereby gradually reducing the power applied to the model rail-roadtrack and train and providing a coasting decelerating effect for thetrain. It should be noted that should the controller handle 100 havebeen returned from the maximum power position to an intermediateposition, then the previously operated maximum power relays would bepulsed off by the pulsing relay 130 but the remaining control relays,including the one corresponding to the position to lwhich the controlhandle is then operated, will remain operated. Obviously, the coastingdeceleration rate at which the control relays 8-1 are pulsed oi isdetermined by the speed of operation of the pulsing relay 130 which maybe suitably determined by the values of the capacitors 170 and 17=1. Inplace of the pulsing relay 130 for operating contacts 131 and 133, itshould be apparent that a motor driven interrupter cam or other pulsingdevice may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In order to provide a high speed rate for deceleration to simulate theapplication of braking to a degree less than the emergency brakepreviously described, the brake handle control member 150 may be movedto the brake position #l whereby the cam 151 operates switch 160 to openthe normally closed switch contacts 161 and thereby disconnect capactior171 from the interrupter circuit for the interrupter relay 130. Thedisconnection of the capacitor 171 in the interrupter circuit has theeffect of increasing the speed of operation and release for pulsinginterrupter relay 130. This increasing speed of operation will cause thecontrol relays 81 to be pulsed ott at an increased rate of speed afterthe control handle is moved to the off position or a lower position thanto which it was previously operated. Of course, when using a motor driveinterrupter in place of the relay 130, the operation of the switch 160by the brake handle may be effective to increase the speed of the motordriven interrupter. Also it should be understood that a variablecontrol, such as a rheostat, may be used in place of switch contacts 161to progressively vary the pulsing speed as the brake handle isl moved.

lt should be obvious that the system of the invention is not limited toa particular number of control relays or control steps for the remotespeed controller. Nor is it limited to a total number of brake positionsfor the brake simulation handle. It will also be noted that each of therelays 18 is provided with shunting resistors 1ct-8a. These resistorsfunction to slightly delay the release of each of the associated relaysand assure that the relays of the chain will be released in successionby the operation of the interrupter contacts 131 and 133. Obviously,slow release relays may be used in which case resistors 1ra-8a are notrequired.

Various modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention andthe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. An electric motor control system comprising, a control member movableprogressively between Off and On positions, first circuit meanscontrolled by said member to be energized to connect power to the motorin increasing amounts in response to movement of said memberprogressively to the On position, time delay circuit means having anelectrical time constant, said time delay circuit means energizedtogether with the energization of said first circuit means and connectedto additionally control said rst circuit means to gradually reduce theamount of power coupled to said motor at a rate determined by said timeconstant as said member is moved toward the Off position.

2. An electric motor control system comprising, a rst control membermovable progressively between Oif and On positions, a second controlmember movable between tirst and second positions, first circuit meanscontrolled by both said iirst and second members to connect power to themotor in increasing amounts in response to movement of said rst memberprogressively to the On position while said second control member is ata predetermined one of said first and second positions, time delaycircuit means having an electrical time constant, said time delaycircuit means controlled by both said iirst and second members andconnected to said first circuit to gradually reduce the power coupled tosaid motor at a rate determined by said time constant in response tomovement of said rst member toward the Ott position while said secondmember is at the predetermined one of said iirst and second positions,and means to disconnect power from the motor in response to movement ofsaid second member to the other of said iirst and second positionsregardless of the position of said first member.

3. An electric motor control system comprising, a iirst control membermovable progressively between Ofi and On positions, a second controlmember movable between lirst and second positions, rst circuit meanscontrolled by said iirst member to connect power to the motor inincreasing amounts in response to movement of said iii-st memberprogressively to the On position, time delay circuit means having anelectrical time constant, said time delay circuit means controlled byboth said first and second members and connected to said first 7 icircuit to gradually reduce the amount of power coupled References Citedin the file of this' patent to said motor at a rate determined by saidtime constant in response to movement of said rst member toward UNITEDSTATES' PATENTS the Off position while said second member is at' a pre-2,100,728 Wiliby Nov. 30, determined one of said rst and secondpositions, and 5 2,121,605 Mardis et a1 June 215, 1238 means to changethe electrical time constant of said 2,370,701 Woodbury Mar. 6; 1945time delay circuit in response to movement of said sec- 2,557,534 CowlesJune 19,` 15951 ond member tothe other of said firstv and second posi-2,590,879 McAlpine Apr. 1, 1952 tions. 2,770,758 Babish Nov. 13, 1956

